MINOT, N.D.-- The Minot State women's basketball team turned in a strong effort all game long, earning themselves a shot at the win only to see a potential victorious three by Emily Srejma blocked as Saint Cloud State held on for a 57-55 win over the Beavers at the MSU Dome on Saturday in NSIC action.

The Beavers (5-6 overall, 1-4 NSIC) had two players score in double figures, led by Kate Head who had 15 points and two steals. Srejma tacked on 10 points and Natasha Elliott added nine points and two steals.

Minot State grabbed 34 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Saint Cloud State's 29, led by Lorelei McIver's five boards. The Beavers also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 11 rebounds into 11 second-chance points.

Coach's Comments
"It's obviously disappointing, we're not in the business to play close games," Minot State coach Mike Brandt said. "That's obviously a really good and strong team there, but we did have a chance; many chances, we did have a shot there at the end.

"We wanted to get a good shot, we had an extra timeout if we needed one," Brandt added. "In that situation we wanted to hit the first person available for a good shot, but we didn't hit her early enough, we hit her when she got way out of range there."
 

How It Happened

Minot State started out the scoring by going on a 9-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Emma Mogen, to take an early lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter. The Beavers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with an 18-7 advantage. Minot State did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 18 points close to the basket.
 

Minot State kept its first-quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 2:55 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Head, to increase its lead to 30-22. The Huskies cut into that lead, but the Beavers still enjoyed a 30-26 advantage heading into halftime. Minot State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 12 points.
 

Minot State then lost its advantage in the third quarter and trailed the Huskies 42-41 entering the fourth. Minot State's bench made the most of its minutes in the period as non-starters totaled four of the team's 11 third-quarter points.

Saint Cloud State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 44-41 advantage before Minot State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Elliott's jumper, to seize a 46-44 lead with 6:42 to go in the contest. Saint Cloud State re-asserted control, outscoring the Beavers 13-9 the rest of the way to hand Minot State the 57-55 loss. Minot State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points.

Game Notes

» The Beavers shared the ball well, recording an assist on 61 percent of made baskets.
» Minot State lost despite a 34-29 rebounding advantage.
» Minot State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Kate Head led the Beavers with 15 points.
» Minot State got five rebounds from both Lorelei McIver and Kate Head.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.